[kictanet] Finland makes fast broadband a legal right

[alice]

I agree Eric, but it is important to note though, that the official 
press release instead talks of a universal service obligation that would 
be imposed similar to what has existed for telephony 
http://www.lvm.fi/web/en/pressreleases/view/920100

best
alice


> Alice,
>
> Thats mild, if you may, they raised the game and set the stage for how the
> 21st century market place would be. They have taken the bull by more than
> the horn.
>
> Eric here
>
>
>   
>> Linking  to the current discussion on Internet outage,
>>
>> I will use IDRC Outcome mapping lingua and say, what Finland is doing is
>> an "I would Love to see" kind of scenario.
>>
>> best
>> alice
>> ----------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-broadband-a-legal-right.html
>>
>>
>> Finland makes fast broadband a legal right
>>
>> The Finnish government has passed a law that entitles every person to a
>> one megabit-per-second internet connection.
>>
>> By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor
>> Published: 4:05PM BST 15 Oct 2009
>>
>> Even the citizens of remote, rural parts of Finland will be legally
>> entitled to a minimum broadband connection speed of one megabit per
>> second, rising to 100 megabits ber second by 2015. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
>> Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications has committed to
>> ensuring that every person in Finland can access the internet at a
>> minimum speed of one megabit per second from July next year.
>>
>> The Finnish government had already committed to rolling out 100 megabits
>> per second broadband connections across the country by 2015. It's the
>> first country in the world to make universal minimum internet access
>> speeds a legal requirement.
>>
>> The government said the move was aimed at improving broadband provision
>> in rural areas. Telecoms companies across Finland will have to start
>> rolling out high-speed services to all locations. But the Finnish
>> authorities have stressed that this is merely an "intermediary step"
>> ahead of the roll-out of superfast broadband within the next five years.
>>
>> "We think [the internet is] something you cannot live without in modern
>> society," said Laura Vikkonen, a spokesman for the ministry. "Like
>> banking services or water or electricity, you need an internet connection.
>>
>> "Universal service is every citizen's subjective right."
>>
>> Finland, which has a population of around 5.2 million, is already one of
>> the most connected countries in the world, with 95 per cent of citizens
>> already hooked up to some form of internet connection.
>>
>> Although other countries, such as France, have declared the concept of
>> guaranteed web access a "human right", Finland is the first nation to
>> recognise this in law.
>>
>> The British government and internet stakeholders will be keeping a close
>> eye on Finland's plans. In the recent Digital Britain report, the
>> government set a target of universal internet access of speeds of at
>> least two megabits per second by 2012.
>>
>> But it remains unclear whether this target will be achieved, as rural
>> and remote areas may still have to rely on mobile or satellite
>> broadband, rather than fixed-line internet connections, for their web
>> access.
>>
>> The Prince of Wales has added his voice to the debate, calling on the
>> government and internet service providers to stop the countryside
>> becoming a "broadband desert".
>>
>> "Access to the internet is increasingly becoming a necessity," he wrote
>> in The Daily Telegraph at the weekend. "The lack of access to high speed
>> broadband is putting many of those who work in rural communities at a
>> severe disadvantage."
>>
>> BT recently announced that it was doubling the roll-out of its own
>> next-generation, high-speed 100 megabits per second broadband network,
>> making it accessible to 2.5 British households by 2012. However, most of
>> those homes are expected to be concentrated in urban areas.
>>
>> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-broadband-a-legal-right.html
>>
>>
>>
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